To be gone
by ropesburg
Summary: On her way to her mother's wedding, a young woman gets stranded in the middle of nowhere. The road she knows by heart suddenly takes her somewhere new; a strange town with even stranger people in it. If this whole thing is a fever dream, she would very much like to wake up now.


She put the car in third, having finished the left turn.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, she sped up, the hollow forest chopping by outside. Slowly, she pressed down the gas pedal, inching forward, then the clutch, flattening her right hand, outstretched fingers.

Fourth.

The speedometer inched up, awakened. The road was dry, its markings made imminent decisions in the night. She frowned at the crunches coming from the radio. Throwing a glance at the road before taking her eyes off of it, she turned the radio's button, searching.

Thick trees all around her, and then the mountains, scraggy, its peaks like angry referees.

Sighing, she turned the radio off.

Another steep climb, the engine leaned in, cursing at the sudden need of oil and gas. The hair on her arms stood up. She increased the weight on the gas pedal and they went quicker, now foolish, living, foolishy living. She took the curve with an intake of air, the car angry and slick against the road. Soon, soon they'd reach the peak, it would flatten out, a final stretch of forests and nothingness before they had to gather themselves up. The road would get thinner, houses and people sleeping at the sides of the road, and then she would be home. All around was darkness but her headlights spared her, two chewing gum bubbles of light. Daring all life to step in her way.

Signs warning for deer. The car maintained its speed, hurrying along. It was a little past ten. She straightened up in the seat. Her back crackled. As the road turned to the right, she eased up on the gas. Somewhere along here there was a chunk missing from the road, an unpologetic lowering of the asphalt that persisted, threatening to take a bite out of any careless driver. Her stomach surged from the altitude drop and the insistent pull of the curve. G-forces.

She'd slowed down for nothing. The asphalt was smooth, newly filled out. A thick black tongue was patching it up.

Speeding back up, passing under a tunnel and a railway, she turned the radio back on. Talk show, a man and a woman. Laughter. She switched. Pop. She turned the radio up, the music climbed, surging like a waterfall that finally surrendered, having been complacent for too long. She put in the highest gear. The night flew by, dismissed at record speed. The'd put up a new sign. It flashed by in the corner of her eye.

Slowing down again, she looked for her turn. Somewhere around here there was a tiny gravel road with grass hesitantly growing in the middle and wispy greens lurching overhead. She sighed. The deforestation was massive. Almost all of the trees were gone. Now at a crawl, she leaned over the passenger seat, squinting at her surroundings.

The display went out, taking the radio with it, and the entire car lurched to a halt. She was slammed into the dashboard, gaping, then rubbing at her nose. Turning the ignition did nothing. She pumped the gas pedal, then tried again. One single cough from the engine. The car shuddered, as if it had forgotten to bring a jacket on a chilly evening out. The woman frowned, taking out the keys.

She took the phone from the cup holder and listened to the dial tones. Saturday evening. Her folks were watching TV. Taking her handbag from the passenger seat, she then grabbed the laptop from the back, preparing to leave.

There should be no power going to the electronics, but still the dashboard was glowing. All the warning lights were on.

 _Check engine. Coolant temperature warning. Gas cap open. ESP fault. Airbag fault. Door ajar._

"Door ajar _my ass,_ " the woman wheezed, slamming the door in question shut with force.

She hadn't gone more than a couple of steps before the alarm went off, a massive blinking, the blaring of distress signals. Her heartbeat like loud stomping in her ribs. Despite clicking the key a dozen of times, the alarm continued on. Aside from the screeching there was a lower sound, quickly becoming more urgent.

The engine was revving. The woman looked at the car. She blinked, then looked at the key in her hand. The alarm shut off and the car shot forward, shredding the tires and leaving bits of them behind. She remained on the road, frowning, her mouth still hanging open. Red tailights like two dots, disappearing. A moment later they were gone. She turned around, shaking her head vigorously.

Without the xenon from the headlights the forest was pitch black. Slowly she made her way to the edge of the road. She tried the phone again, getting the answering machine and cursing. No signs of any life behind her, no porchlights or bawdy beams alighting new facades. Far ahead there was a shift, a possibility. She went there.

It took a while. Her steps against the asphalt were quiet, the thin soles barely holding themselves together. After a while she stopped, hung the laptop over the right shoulder instead of the left. The stars were visible, a thin mesh net of celestial bodies. One of the dots moved. A satellite perhaps. She walked on.

The green sign was the first thing to come into being. As she got closer she saw trucks, bulky metal on a job. On the other side of the glass there were people moving. A waitress put down a basket by a customer.

The woman stood still for a while, regarding the café. It was a new edition to the town.

 _All-nite diner._

It was nearing midnight. Her stomach whined. She still couldn't see any other houses. The distance that you covered by walking was simply absurd when compared to how far you got by car. Looking both ways before crossing the road, she then made her way to the diner. A man was on the ground by one of the cars, whispering. His clothes were covered in dirt and dust. She took a detour around him, glancing away.

As she pulled open the door a gust of food sloshed against her. The radio squelched from a corner, paired with the sizzle of a grill in use.

She'd barely sat down in a plastic-looking booth before a smiling waitress made her way there. "Hello, I'm Patricia. Here's your menu. Would you like to start out with a refreshing drink?"


End file.
